Masked Dancers
by ScOrPiA pOiSoN
Summary: Keep this and I'll find you" and a dog tag was pressed into Alex's hand. Who was the masked dancer Alex met at the ball? Will Alex ever see him again? Warning: SLASH! Don't like don't read! R&R plz!
1. Prologue

Hello people! I'm back with the edited prolouge for Masked Dancers! Chapter one is in progress and I think the old chapter one is going to be something like chapter two or three :O I have to give a huge thank you to ShibuNoNeko for their wonderful reviews on every chapter and for their awesome tips :) I also want to give another HUGE thank you to AnyAlways for being such a great friend! My last thanks goes to LaviLane, my ever faithful, slash-loving BETA!

Yeah, I thought the plot was getting shaky on chapter four and chapter five, I was almost in a state of writer's block on what to do after chapter six. Now, I think there's going to be this huge chunk of time (or not so huge) between chapter, like one and four. Whew, I have this huge ramble of an Author's Note. On with the story that you've all been waiting for!

Disclaimer: Hmm, let's see. Boobs, check. Long hair, check. No dick, check. Yup, I'm pretty sure I'm a girl, not a guy, so obviously, I DON'T OWN ALEX RIDER!!! I really wish I did though, cos then YASSEN WOULD STILL BE ALIVE :D

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Looking into the mirror, he could see a handsome face looking back at him. His shaggy blonde hair was, as usual, neatly combed with a few strands of fair hair hanging down over his eyes. His serious brown eyes stared back at him with cool indifference and complete self-assurance.

With a glance down and straightening his emerald green tie, Alex smiled at himself in the full-length mirror. Said boy was dressed in a neat white suit with shiny black dress shoes to match. He looked in the mirror again and frowned at his hair. _It's a little too neat. _So he mussed it up a bit, giving it a naturally messy look. Alex grabbed a feathered mask off his desk and arranged it on his face, effectively concealing his identity.

The mask was a thing of beauty even though the main body of it was white plastic. Dark green and ocean blue feathers adorned the edges. Holding them in place were a few rhinestones and sequins, but nothing overly fancy. It molded exactly to his face, for it didn't have a strap to wrap around the back of his head. There were two holes for his eyes, shaped like the rough outline of the human eye.

Alex sighed. He didn't know why he was attending the ball in the first place. "ALEEEEEX!" a loud, feminine voice screeched. Oh right, Jack. She practically begged him to go with her to this stupid ball. But hey, at least he got to look awesome, even if he had to wear a stupid mask. Feeling up to giving Jack the shock of her lifetime (excluding the possibility of being shot at), he made sure the mask was secure on his face before complying with Jack's impatient yell and walking downstairs.

"HOLY SHIT! Who are you and what have you done with Alex?!" Jack screamed again. God her voice was loud. Maybe it was because of Alex taking her gloved hand and lightly brushing his lips on the silky fabric.

"Having fun already, Jack? Though I must say, you look rather stunning tonight," Alex gently teased. And Jack sure did look amazing. She was wearing a stunning beige colored cocktail dress that was diagonally cut off at the bottom. Her red hair was tame for once and in a stylish bun with a few strands hanging out. A silver necklace with precious diamonds hung around her neck, matching with her silver high heels. Of course, on her hands were satin white gloves, and one of those hands grasped a silver mask with green rhinestones studding the edges.

"Don't tease me like that!" Jack huffed, "Though you should dress up like that more often, you look good," she complimented.

"Well, are we going or not, 'cos you're the one who wanted to go," Alex said.

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"Whoa . . ." Alex murmured as he saw the mansion the ball was to take place in. The thing was chuffing HUGE! Who actually needed a house that big? Light shined from the windows and glimmered on the trees. The trees that were lit up with lights were planted alongside the road, guiding cars up the long driveway to the front door.

After Jack's car was parked and the pair was standing on the front step of the mansion, Alex and Jack looked up at the architectural structure in wonder and amazement. Of course, Jack was the first to lose interest in the rather large house and dragged Alex through the open double doors and into the unguarded hallway. Personally, Alex felt that a giant group of terrorists could storm the place at any minute and take whoever was hosting the ball as a hostage until a designated amount of money was paid to them.

When they entered the mansion, Jack and Alex were in for a whole other surprise: a long corridor filled with painted portraits of the family living in the mansion, meaning mums, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the whole kaluha. Beautiful glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling giving the room a bright, but comfortable lighting. The hardwood floor was brilliantly polished, undeterred by the many feet walking upon it.

The handsome sixteen-year-old blonde and his American, red-headed guardian made their way down the hall, through the heavy oak double doors and into the ball room, which elicited a gasp from the both of them.

The ballroom was practically sparkling with all the glass and crystal inside it. The high domed roof had crystal and silver chandeliers hanging down, with light bulbs instead of candles obviously. The drapes were a lovely mauve, pink color that shimmered in the light. The tall windows were clean as can be, with a view of a primly trimmed, moonlit garden with many nooks where people could have some privacy. Pillars of marble were lined against the wall ten or so feet across with pale blue glittery ribbons decorating them. The wallpaper was surprisingly attractive in this area, for a faint crisscross pattern with soft, barely noticeable flowers on the design was very attractive.

A brightly polished floor spoke of its owner's riches with its pale white marble floor and gilded grout. A stage at one end of the humongous circular room held a band which was playing music at the moment. People milled about, eating food, drinking champagne and fine wine from the champagne and wine towers that were stacked on the banquet tables that bordered the edge of the room. A few breaks between the tables didn't have windows, but pairs of glass French doors that led out to balconies.

"Oh my Lord," Jack whispered, "Now aren't you glad you came?"

"No, not really, but I must admit, a beautiful ballroom full of well-dressed people in masks is quite a sight," Alex replied casually, "Well, see you later. I'm going to find someone to dance with."

Jack was about to retort to his blunt dismissal, when suddenly, a red-head with green eyes asked Alex's guardian to a dance. Shaking his head slightly and smiling at the man's hair color, he made his way into the throng of dancing people, searching for a dance partner. Someone gently laid a hand on his shoulder. Alex quickly whirled around, surprised. What he saw was a taller young man behind him with crystal clear blue eyes framed by a plain white mask and black hair. He appeared around twenty or twenty-one.

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked in a kind voice.

"No, but are you looking for someone?" Alex cheekily replied.

The stranger gave him an amused look and said, "Actually no, I'm not looking for anyone."

"'Kay then. Um, bye," Alex awkwardly said.

"Wait, um, can I have this dance?" the blue eyed stranger politely invited before Alex disappeared.

"Do you often repeat yourself?" Alex wondered out loud while pondering his decision to the stranger's invitation. Dance with stranger that might kill me or don't dance with stranger . . . "Sure, I'll have one dance with you," Alex said.

"Then let's get onto the dance floor!"

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As it turns out, Alex danced more than one dance with the black-haired, blue-eyed man and never had as much fun waltzing around as he did that one night. The man who asked him to dance was surprisingly skilled at it and very good at leading. The pair settled on just swaying around in a small circle while they talked about themselves. What struck the blonde as interesting was that the black-haired guy was in the army and always ate take-out when off duty.

The black-haired man found out that the blonde guy he was dancing with had no living relatives and was cared for by a housekeeper and ate 10 minute meals. Interesting. Usually, a guy would protest to being led around the dance floor, but this guy looked like he was having too much fun to care. He smiled gently down at the shorter young man with his serious brown eyes and fair hair. The man was surprised that the younger man accepted his invitation to dance. After all, not many people in this room were bi, or let alone gay.

Alex and his dance partner waltzed over to a balcony and strode out onto it. The large balcony was blissfully empty with a soft breeze blowing. The person who so kindly invited him for a dance didn't remove his mask, so Alex felt no inclination to remove his. They stood together, leaning against the balcony rail, in a comfortable silence. Then the silence was broken by: "You know you're pretty good at dancing in the girl's position."

Alex replied by blushing and muttering out, "Well aren't you gay?"

"Nice comeback, but actually, I'm, uh, bi," Mr. Blue-eyes awkwardly muttered the last part. Alex looked up in surprise that a guy actually admitted that.

Alex muttered, " 'Kay." He looked over the gardens bathed in moonlight. The night sky was perfectly clear with millions of stars blazing down on Earth. A full moon, pure and white, hung in the sky like a glowing diamond. Quietly, he murmured, "Tonight really is beautiful isn't it?"

"Yeah," the masked stranger said. The couple didn't realize how much time had passed, for the perfect moment was shattered when, over the now softly playing music, Jack's voice calling:

"Alex? Where are you? It's time to go!"

The black-haired man chuckled and said, "So your name's Alex, huh? Mine's James." Alex looked up at the taller of the two and asked, "James, can we see each other again?"

Hesitating for a second, James appeared to think about something, then decided to do it, for he bent down and gently nuzzled his lips to Alex's mouth. Alex rather quickly responded to the kiss and started to kiss back. Before the kiss could get passionate, the pair of men broke apart.

"I have to go," Alex whispered. Jack's calls were getting more urgent.

James took Alex's hand, which made the fair haired boy blush, and slipped a dog tag into his open palm. "Keep this, and I'll find you."

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"Alex, where were you?" Jack shrilly screeched. Alex winced and tried to calm her down.

"Jack, relax, I was just talking to someone and lost track of time," Alex reassured. Immediately after he said it, he regretted it, for Jack's eyes lit up with a mischievous light.

"Who's the lucky girl? Did you kiss?" Jack bombarded Alex with questions.

"Um . . . H-her," Alex winced at the pronoun, "name is . . . Jaimee." Lies. "Yeah we kissed." Truth, sort-of.

"You have GOT to introduce me!" Jack squealed.

Alex looked extremely grumpy as she said this. When his caretaker asked why, he replied, "You called me away before I could get her number!" She looked extremely apologetic, but didn't seem to dwell on it for long.

"Did she give you anything to remember her by?" Jack wondered out loud.

"Nothing except the feeling of hi-her lips," Alex embarrassedly mumbled. This was of course another lie. James gave him a dog tag and said he would find him. "Can I go change now?"

"Oh sure, honey!" Jack called from the kitchen. _How do women move so damn fast?_ Alex thought. The boy could have sworn Jack was standing there in the living room with him. Shrugging, he went up to his room, sat on his bed and examined the little metal tag he got from his mystery dance partner. All it had on it was the SAS logo with Special Air Services printed under it.

_So he's in the SAS . . ._ Alex mused._ Oh shit . . ._ The disgruntled boy thought about his last experience with the SAS and winced at the mere thought of K-unit. His thoughts were disturbed by the phone ringing downstairs.

The spy was brought out of his thoughts and sprinted down the stairs before the answering machine could take the message. "Hello?" Alex said breathlessly.

"Mister, you have some problems with the settings for your bank account. Can you please come to the bank tomorrow?" a secretary said over the line. Alex took a guess that it was probably a desk-worker, seeing the late hour at night.

"Okay," Alex sighed, "I'll be there tomorrow afternoon." He hung up the phone and slowly walked back up the stairs, pondering on how to reject Blunt's and Jones' offer, whatever it will be.

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The blonde, in his pajamas, flopped on his bed and sighed. He didn't want to leave Jack alone; he knew she would just worry. Also, there was Tom, school, and blah. As if he didn't have enough on his plate without having to deal with a K-unit that hated him, except for Ben.

Alex fished the dog tag out of his pocket and stared at it for a few seconds. He still couldn't figure out the identity of the person due to the mask. When the teen sighed again, he realized he'd been sighing a lot lately. Stupid stress.

Before going to bed, Alex had looped some string through the hole at the top of the dog tag, making it into a rudimentary necklace. He slipped the string over his head, snuggled under the blankets. However sleepy the teen was, he couldn't help but wonder: why did Jack want to leave so early? He apparently didn't think about it too much, for Alex was soon was lost in the world of dreams.

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There you go people! The first edited chapter (prologue) of MASKED DANCERS! If you're happy about this, please REVIEW!!!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I completely and utterly own all things associated with ALex Rider. Once the lawyers outside stop trying to break down my doors, this sentence will someday be true. Right now, it's not.

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A bright shaft of sunlight broke through the partially closed curtains in a certain teenage spy's room. Said spy groaned and rolled over, away from the offending light and towards the edge of his bed. Alex didn't want to get up, even though his spy instincts were screaming at him to get dressed and be alert for trouble. Obviously, the blonde wasn't feeling too good with certain sore muscles. He swore on himself, Jack, God, Allah, whoever or whatever, that he was never dancing like that ever again, then rolled over and glanced at his clock which read the rather late time of 10:00 am.

Alex immediately fell off the edge of the bed with a loud thump. It was unusually late in the morning for the teen to be waking up, being a spy and a natural early bird after all. However, since it was this late and Jack was probably downstairs by now, he could have a hearty breakfast of eight-minute eggs and his lovely, precious bacon.

Throwing on a random pair of jeans, an old t-shirt, and socks while running down the stairs for his morning meal, Alex called out, "Morning, Jack! Let there be bacon on the table!"

Sure enough, when Alex got to the kitchen, his wonderful American housekeeper turned guardian was setting a fresh plate of bacon down on the bar. "Good morning to you too, Alex! Here's your bacon that you're apparently obsessed about," Jack chuckled seeing her charge's mouth water at the strips of fried meat.

Stars were in the blonde's eyes as he sat down at the kitchen table with a fork and the plate chock full of bacon. "Bon appétit!" Alex said to his meal as his tucked in. Jack dished up some eggs and toast, and then sat down with Alex at the table.

"So, hon, are you planning to go anywhere today? Maybe we should go to Hyde Park and fly some kites," Jack offered.

Alex swallowed his mouthful of eggs and bacon. "Sorry, but I was planning on going to the cinema with Tom, and this afternoon, I have an appointment with the _bank," _Alex sighed, "I really wanted to spend some time with you today, though."

Jack looked disappointed for a few seconds, but then brightened up as she asked Alex, "Then after you visit _them_," Jack spat the last word, "I can order Indian take-out for dinner. It's fun to watch you eat the curry." Alex smiled widely at the suggestion and made a noise of agreement. Suddenly, he remembered what he wanted to ask his guardian last night.

"Why'd we leave the ball so early?"

Jack froze for a moment. She suspiciously smoothly said, "It was getting late, so I thought we should both get some rest."

Alex smirked, for he knew Jack was lying. She always twiddled her thumbs whenever she got nervous or when she lies. "Oh, really? But it's the summer holidays. If I remember correctly, you were dancing with a red-haired, green-eyed guy, the last time I saw you," Alex smugly stated, knowing full well that he would win this arugument.

"I didn't want to get drunk with champagne."

"I could have driven us home. I have a license, I have a high alcohol tolerance, and I could get us out of any trouble that might have happened on the way back, like let's say, you puking your guts out."

"I would _not_ toss my cookies! Also, I was getting tired."

"There's this wonderful invention called _a chair_."

"I couldn't find any chairs."

"If you were so tired, then why did you have enough energy to drive the car home, make a cup of hot chocolate, then watch some action flick, screaming at the characters that were, and I quote, 'Dumbasses! He went that way! That way, I tell you!'?"

"The chocolate energized me."

"That still doesn't explain _why_ we left the ball so early." At this point, Jack was twitching in her seat, knowing she was losing the debate. Especially with Alex giving her the evil eye mixed with his perfected "kicked puppy" looked. What a dangerous combination.

The red-head struggled against the compulsion to tell Alex, but eventually gave in. The eyes were just too much. "Fine, you want to know?" Jack asked. Alex nodded vigorously, keeping up the puppy eyes. "Then, I'll have you know, that guy that danced with me royally pissed me off."

Alex snorted. It was typical Jack. "Thanks, for the info. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a movie to catch with Tom," Alex dryly said.

(THE LINE BREAK OF LETTERS INSTEAD OF LINES BECAUSE FANFICTION IS BEING SCREWY TODAY)

"So, Al, anything happen in your oh so dull life?" Tom sarcastically asked his best mate. The two boys were standing outside the movie theater, debating on which film to watch.

Alex appeared to think for a moment. "Let's see, Tom, I have to go to 'the bank' for some problems in my account," he replied to Tom's question.

Said dark-haired boy laughed and patted Alex on the back. "I feel for you, mate. No I don't, really, but . . . HEY! Let's watch Ninja Assassin!" The blonde laughed at his friend's antics.

"Tom, don't you think that movie is a little . . . pointless for me? You and I both know I've had my fair share of both," Alex said, exasperated at his friend. Tom apparently refused to listen to reason, for he just bounced up and down some more.

"But Al!" he whined, "Wouldn't it be cool to see a mix of them?" Alex rolled his eyes.

To think that this special teenager has dealt with insane madmen, but gets plenty more irritated at his own ordinary, but slightly insane friend.

Alex sighed, "Tom, if you _really_ want to see a ninja and an assassin mixed together, I can show you one without spending ten pounds on a ticket." Tom gaped.

"Where? Where? Where?" Tom asked even more energetically than before. Alex wondered where the calmer Tom went. He sighed. Obviously the blue-eyed boy didn't believe in student discounts.

Alex slowly explained, "There – is – some – thing – called – a student – discount, Tom." The manner in which this was spoken was the way a person would talk to someone who speaks a different language: loud and slow. Comprehension dawned on Tom's face as the implication of the words clicked in his head.

"Ah hah! I totally forgot about those! Then let the pair of us see this film!" Tom mock-seriously exclaimed, then promptly dragged his super spy friend to the ticket counter to purchase tickets for Ninja Assassin.

(ANOTHER LINE BREAK OF EPICNESS HAS ARRIVED)

As the pair of boys, one blonde and the other black-haired, walked out of the theater, the black-haired one was screaming at the top of his teenager lungs, "THAT WAS THE BEST MOVIE EVER!" Alex just rolled his eyes. In his opinion, the main character wasn't even the equivalent to Nile, Yassen, or even Julia Rothman in skill. And who the hell came up with a "ninja-assassin"? They're practically the same thing! Alex voiced his opinion on the film and was replied with mock gasps and many shouts of "How could you!"

A few minutes later found the pair of boys at a pizza parlor with slices of mushroom pizza. Alex swallowed a bite of the crust and said to Tom, "I have to go now. Sorry, mate, but you know how they are."

Tom patted Alex on the shoulder and mumbled through his mouth full of food, "S'kay, I got to escape the house for almost a whole day." The subject of Tom's parents was infamous in Brookland. They were going through a messy divorce and being quite, er, violent. After paying the tab with his best friend, Alex strode out of the building and down into a subway station.

Next stop, Liverpool Station.

(THIS IS THE LINE BREAK THAT JUST DISTRACTED YOU FROM WHAT YOU WERE READING MUAHAHA.)

"I have an appointment with Mr. Blunt."

The secretary sitting at the reception desk looked up at the teenager in front of her. She scrutinized his face and immediately noticed his weary brown eyes and the thin scar running down his cheek. The woman checked the blonde's features with the picture of one Alex Rider and it matched. Miss Secretary waved the young spy through.

Mrs. Jones was waiting for Alex next to the elevator. "Good day, Alex. Are you coming?" she greeted. Alex shrugged and followed her to the lift. Mrs. Jones pressed the button for the sixteenth floor and towards the cause of all of Alex's injuries: Blunt's office.

The elevator dinged as it landed at its destination. A dark-skinned woman and a fair-haired young man stepped out and began walking down the boring, dull hallway on the sixteenth floor. They stopped in front of a door labeled "1605". Blunt's office was right on the other side.

Mrs. Jones politely knocked on the gray door and entered after an appropriate pause. Alex strode in after her, receiving a first class view of the cold, gray, emotionless man that was Alan Blunt. "Take a seat, Mr. Rider," Blunt coldly demanded.

Alex moved to the only available chair in the drab room and sat down, while contemplating just how far his mood dropped just by being at the Royal and General. The boy glared at the forehead of a certain gray man and abruptly asked, "So why did you want me here?"

"According to our Intel, there was a SCORPIA agent sighted at the ball you attended with your guardian last night. I am sending you to Brecon Beacons for protection," Blunt, well, bluntly said. "Also, a little extra training never hurt anybody."

(ORDINARY LINE BREAK)

"A little extra training never hurt anybody, my ass," Alex grumbled, wiping blood off his face.

He was currently on a hike with four other soldiers, trooping through mud, rain, and literal shit. The four men in front of Alex hiked ahead, leaving Alex trailing behind a little. Earlier, a branch "jumped out of nowhere" and cut Alex's cheek. Even earlier than that, a week ago to be precise, Alex found himself standing at the front entrance to Brecon Beacons: Hell on Earth.

Ben Daniels had picked him up. Honestly, Alex thought that he'd never see the man again after what happened on Dragon Nine. After all, Alex did tend to disappear for a long time with little to no contact with the outside world, and upon return, stay in a hospital until well enough to make another infamous disappearance. The two spies endured a painfully long and bumpy car ride from Britain to Wales, and to make it even more painful for Ben, Alex decided to give the man a little bit of a mindfuck.

"So, Ben, how have you been?" Ben glanced over at the blond teenager.

"I'm good… Why do you ask?" Suspicion was evident in his tone.

Alex grinned. "Oh, no reason. No reason at all." After that, Alex kept smiling that… smile of his and looked out the window.

Ben was scared. Very, very scared. So scared that he almost swerved off the road after hitting a pothole.

* * *

YES. I GOT THAT LAST LINE BREAK TO ACTUALLY WORK WITH ME.

Ok, so I decided to get back into the funk of writing and redid chapter one so that it was more... flowy. Actually I just redid the second half because I wanted to. Ah well. Drop me a line wouldja? :)


	3. Chapter 2

Ok, so here's chapter 2, edited again, but not with super huge changes. just a little editing here and there :)

Disclaimer: I personally think that there's really no point in these. The lawyers should realize that there's a reason why I'm on this site writing FANfiction, no?

* * *

Alex and Ben stumbled out of the car, exhausted and weary from the drive to Wales. They both stretched, stiff muscles loosening, and joints popping into place. Alex savored the feeling of not-sore muscles and joints, but unfortunately for Alex and all the other soldiers, stiff and sore is the norm in hell.

"Alright," Ben said, turning to Alex. "Alex, you need to report to the Sergeant's office before going to your little mud-covered hut in the middle of nowhere. For your first day here, all you have to do is eat dinner and settle in, but starting tomorrow, your training and tutoring begins."

Wait. What? "Tutoring?" Alex asked.

"Yes, tutoring. The head thought that it would be beneficial if your training and academics were combined for the time you're at Brecon Beacons. He also thinks it would be beneficial if I was the one tutoring you."

Alex was not happy.

* * *

The Sergeant was contemplating how he should appear to the spy coming to his training grounds. Should he be rude or polite? Calm or angry with veins bulging out of his forehead? Loud or quiet? He would've been prepared to face the blandest of adult spies with these questions. He most certainly was not prepared to see a certain Cub slink into his office, each step soundless with the gait of a stealthy panther.

"CUB?"

The look on the Sergeant's face was priceless. Not only did the Sergeant's face look surprised to the extreme, but was also turning very red, very fast. Cool, calm, collected panther was definitely the way to do things.

"Yes, sir?" Alex coolly responded. The spy didn't stand to attention or even look like he gave a fuck about the daily going-ons of mortals.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a loud huff. He picked up a gray folder. "I'm not even going to ask. I know that if I do, paperwork will follow. If there is paperwork, there are secret documents to be signed. And that's a whole other world of trouble." The man handed the folder to Alex. "In here is your schedule, a map of the grounds, and some brief background info on your soon-to-be teammates in L-Unit." Alex took the folder and quickly flipped through the contents.

"Will that be all, sir?"

"I'll let it slide just this once, but the next time you see your superior officer, I better be able to hear your spine snap from how fast you stood up straight. Dismissed." The spy left the room, no salute, no "Yes, sir!" anywhere in sight.

The sergeant sat at his desk and rubbed his temples. "Strange kid," he muttered.

* * *

The door burst open. "Hey, hey guys! Didja hear? Didja hear about it?"

Zebra gave a long-suffering sigh, blowing smoke in the speaker's (yeller's) general direction. "Hear about what, Lion?"

"There's a secret agent staying with us! And for an undetermined amount of time!" Lion exclaimed.

"No, Lion, I never heard about that. I mean, as the leader of the unit and the leader of the cabin the agent is staying in, all this information just _totally_ slipped past me." Sarcasm dripped off of Zebra's words like the ash dropped off the end of his cigarette.

"Fine," Lion pouted. "Be that way. I guess I won't give you the agent's file."

"WHAT?" Zebra immediately shot up and caught Lion in a headlock. "Give me the file."

Waves of killing intent emanated from Zebra. Pity for the poor fool who dares interrupt the man.

"Zebra?" The killer glare instantly whipped around to look at the speaker. Lizard scratched the back of his head. "You know that doesn't work on me. I'm friends with Snake, and Snake is part of Wolf's unit. I'm pretty sure I'm immune to glares." Zebra let go of Lion and ran a hand through his unruly blond hair.

"Whatever. Do you guys know when the agent gets here?"

Shark lazily reclined on his bunk. "He should be here soon."

* * *

"What the hell?" Alex scratched his head, confused. He was looking at the map, searching for L-Unit's cabin. It should've been easy, what with the alphabetical unit names and all, but it was fucking confusing! On the map, the cabin looked easy enough to find, but once Alex tried to navigate the labyrinth of wooden huts, he got lost. He wasn't really lost, lost; just a tad bit confused, after all, who puts A-Unit's cabin right between M- and H-Unit's cabins? No, the cabins were not in alphabetical order.

Which didn't really make any sense, but if this is how the Sergeant wants to run things, so be it.

Finally, ten minutes later, Alex stumbled upon the correct cabin. He took a moment to compose himself for the first impressions he must impress upon the members of L-Unit. Head held high, Alex opened the door to the cabin and walked in, muddy duffel bag and all.

There was a black haired man, a brunette, a redhead, and blond. Alex almost laughed at that; it almost sounded like one of those blond jokes. The brunette took one look at the slightly muddy teenager and pounced with a high-pitched squeal. Alex then decided the dullest crayon of the bunch must be the brunette, not the blond. After throwing the brown-haired man off with much yelling and kicking, Alex, or Cub as he should be called now, said, "Er… Hi."

"Hello," the blond replied.

Well, now isn't this awkward?

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YAY! chapter completed :) And it's officially longer than two pages on Word. It's longer by two sentences :P R&R pretty plzzzzz?


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: *thinks of something clever* I own all nine books but I don't own the rights to them :(

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Alex quickly learned all the soldiers' names. Good, he thought, that saves me the trouble of making up nicknames for them. (Also, Alex had not yet opened up his new unit's files. He was too busy being lost.)

Zebra, the blond, was the unit leader, specializing in leading people ("I lead all you dumbasses on and off the battlefield and if you're still alive, then that counts for something!").

The brunette was Lion. Lion is the guy you find when you need something or someone blown up or gunned down. Zebra said that, once, Lion accidentally blew up part of the mess hall when he was fiddling around with a match and a plastic spoon.

The black-haired man is Lizard. Lizard is the medic, and quite good friends with Snake, from K-Unit. The last man, the redhead Shark, was the unit's language expert.

Alex wondered why the unit didn't say anything about his age yet.

His bed was once again squished into a corner, looking out of place. Alex sat on his bed and examined his schedule for tomorrow.

First thing after breakfast, which started at 5:30 AM, Alex had French class. After French, he had weapons training. Then there were two free hours until lunch, so Alex had tutoring with Ben during that time. Alex had all his physical classes after lunch: physical combat, shooting, running the assault course, a trip to the Killing House once every week, running the assault course some more…

Alex was so _sure_ that he was going to have a fuckin' blast here.

(LINE BREAK)

After Alex went to go take a shower, the four men immediately gathered together and began whispering.

"What do you think of the kid, Shark?" Zebra asked.

"I think he's bloody insane, if that's what you're asking!" Shark hissed back. "Who in their right mind sends a bloody kid to a bloody SAS training camp? I thought we were supposed to have a secret agent, not a teenager!"

Lion tapped both their shoulders. "Guys, I think you should look at the agent's file… And his picture." He held out the sheet with the agent's picture.

It was the blond teenager Lion glomped earlier.

"Well, fuck." Lizard couldn't have phrased it any better.

(LINE BREAK)

The next morning, four men plus a teenage spy, looking like the living dead, rose from their slabs of rock disguised as beds. Silence reigned in the hut, broken only by the occasional grunt or stomp, while they got dressed. They trooped out into the rain that was steadily falling from the sky. Everyone was too tired to even bring up the subject of Alex's arrival.

Already dripping wet before the day even started. Wonderful. Alex made his way into the mess hall and got in line for breakfast which consisted of a bowl of… toxic waste trying to be passed off as oatmeal. The "bacon" looked more normal, but the… Alex thought they were scrambled eggs. He couldn't really tell with all the greenish, reddish, orangey stuff mixed into it. There were soldiers all over the place eating the same slop and none of them dropped dead yet, so Alex assumed the food was relatively safe to eat. He sat at an empty table in the corner of the mess and tentatively dug in. His meal would've been perfectly peaceful. One cocky soldier ruined all that.

"What's a kid like that doing here?" the soldier asked loudly, purposely drawing attention to both him and Alex. Alex looked up from his meal.

He set down his fork and stared at the soldier straight in the eye. "What that kid does is none of your business."

The soldier got up and stalked over to where Alex was sitting. He sneered at Alex, disdainfully looking down at the spy. "Kids don't belong here, brat. This is the big boy's world," the man spat.

"Funny, a man said that to me once. Now he's dead." Alex turned his hand over, checking his fingernails with cool indifference.

The soldier went red in the face. He sputtered, "See here, you little-" Alex abruptly stood up and dumped his mostly untouched food in the trash.

"What would you know about being a big boy?" Alex asked the soldier. "You probably got into the army straight out of high school, and then applied for the SAS after a couple years in service. You probably haven't even begun your PFT or CFT yet." The spy turned on his heel and walked out of the room, head held high, unlike the recruit that had a face purple with humiliation.

(LINE BREAK)

Lion just got his breakfast and sat down when he saw Cougar glaring at Alex. Cougar proceeded to announce to the entire mess hall that a kid was there. Lion mused about what Cougar said; it was true, kids don't belong in the SAS, yet here he was, a blonde boy appearing out of nowhere. What really surprised him was the boy's retaliation. How was a soldier more than three years his senior a child? Sure, maybe maturity-wise, Lion thought, but how else could a teenager be older than an adult? Also, who was the man that died?

Next to him, Lizard was thinking the exact same things. He was also thinking of the teenager's psyche. What kind of mindset does a boy like that have that makes him see an experienced soldier as a child? Zebra and Shark were quietly talking about what just happened, especially after the kid walked out the door. His tread wasn't natural. Too graceful, too smooth. Too closely resembled the stalk of a panther in the undergrowth.

The rest of the mess hall also broke out into loud whispers, already spreading rumors about the mysterious blonde boy like a bunch of gossip-mongers.

(LINE BREAK)

Alex sighed as he meandered towards the French classroom. Just barely into day one and he gets someone pissed off. Ah, well, they'll remember him better that way. Leave a nice, big imprint where Alex Rider used to be.

He pushed open the door and sat down at a desk farthest to the back. Of course, by trying to remain inconspicuous, the teacher immediately took notice of him. "Qui es-tu?" Who are you?

"Je suis Cub, monsieur," Alex quietly replied. I am Cub.

"Que fais-tu ici?" the teacher sharply asked. What are you doing here?

"C'est confidential." Classified.

The teacher grunted and turned away, focusing instead on his lesson plans. More soldiers trickled into the class, each giving Alex their own stare.

It was six in the morning and class started.

"MAGGOTS!" the teacher shouted. The soldiers immediately sat up straight in their seats. "Où est les devoirs je vous ai donné hier?" What assignment? Alex had no idea what the teacher was talking about. Everyone else pulled out some papers with writing scrawled across them.

"Read your paragraphs aloud at the front of the room. Beaver! You go up first!" the teacher commanded, this time in English. Beaver got up and read his paragraph about weather in the desert. The rest of the class proceeded in a similar fashion, until Alex got called up.

"CUB! Get up here and read your paragraph!"

Alex stood up and walked up to the teacher. "I'm sorry, I just arrived last night," he said. "Apparently, I don't have telepathy and couldn't read your mind to get the assignment."

"Don't give me cheek, boy! Now, go up there and say something!"

Alex slowly turned around to face the rest of the class. He said, "Je m'appelle Cub, le garçon de la cafeteria, si vous ne me reconnaissez pas. Je ne vais pas vous raconter ma vie personelle. Soit dit en passant, vous êtes tous nuls en français" (1)

After Alex finished, the hour for French class was up, so Alex quickly vacated the room.

(LINE BREAK)

Weapons training was a joke.

It was partially weapons history and partially weapon ID, both of which he had a thorough lesson in at Malagosto. Finally, Alex got to see Ben. He went back to the cabin where Ben was waiting.

"Hey, Ben," Alex greeted.

"Same to you, Cub. Now let's get started on that Pre-Calculus!" Alex groaned and resigned himself to a miserable couple hours.

(LINE BREAK)

"Oh, come on, Cub, Pre-Calc isn't that bad, is it?" Ben asked. The glare he received was answer enough.

Alex grumbled about stupid numbers and how they should all fuck themselves. He sat down at a table and began to eat the gruel that was _supposed_ to be a bowl of porridge with a glass of a protein shake. Food here was truly disgusting, Alex mused. The probability of the food actually being real food was very low, maybe a ten percent chance? Alex realized what he was thinking about and growled into his protein shake.

Alex swore that whoever invented math was going to die a long and painful death.

* * *

(1) I am Cub, the boy in the cafeteria, if you don't recognize me. I will not tell you my personal life. By the way, all of your French is terrible.

R&R plzzzz :P


	5. Chapter 4

Hey guys! So this is the next update :)

Okay, so just for a reminder, I've tweaked some of the characters' ages a bit. Alex is sixteen, K-Unit are twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-four. Ben is twenty-three. So K-Unit is pretty much younger than they are in the actual books. :)

Disclaimer: Nope, and unfortuantely may never will. (if that made any sense at all)

* * *

Alex all but dragged himself through the door of L-Unit's cabin. Alex, who was covered in mud, looked at his teammates who were equally covered in mud.

Lion all but flopped onto the floor to avoid getting any mud on his bunk. "It isn't just the playground from hell. It's the playground from the ninth circle of hell."

Everyone else, including Alex muttered, "Amen."

Zebra leaned against his bunk and lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around his head. He exhaled the smoke and looked directly at Alex.

"So, kid, what's your name again?" he asked.

"Cub." Alex began to try to pry off some of the mud caked to his boot.

The unit had just eaten dinner (a stew that had some very oddly colored chunks of meat in it) and returned to their cabin. They had just gone on a timed hike with fifty-pound (twenty-five for Alex) backpacks through a forest, around a lake, and up a cliff. After that, they had to hike down what looked and felt like a small mountain and stumble through mud pit after mud pit. A _very _fun hike. Alex was sure that he'd _never_ have that much fun in his life _ever_ again.

Shark groaned from his position on the floor. He had hiked behind Lion, the eternal klutz when it comes to moving tree branches out of the way. "Lion, you owe me big," Shark grumbled. "Especially after that one branch –"

"I didn't know it was going to hit your crotch when I let go!"

Shark cast a pleading look towards Lizard.

Lizard leaned against his bunk. "No matter what you do, Shark, I am _not_ inspecting _anywhere_ near your general lower body area for injuries. After that moment last month when Lion kicked you in the thigh while we were sleeping, and you asked me to look at your 'boo-boo,' I am NEVER looking at your 'boo-boo's' ever again unless we're in the middle of the fucking battlefield."

Alex definitely did _not_ want to know what happened last month.

He gave up on de-mudifying his boot and focused on getting the mud off his dog tag instead. Lion rolled over to Alex. "Cub! Cub! Cub! Cub! Cub!" Lion poked Alex's leg. Alex studiously ignored the man.

"Cub! Cub! Cub!"

Ignoring the other man was a lot harder than it sounded.

"Yes, Lion?" Alex asked, patience clearly wearing thin. "What do you want?"

"What's that you're cleaning off?"

Alex looked at his, well that guy's dog tag actually. "It's nothing. Someone gave it to me a little while ago."

Zebra looked interested. "Really? Can I see it?" he asked. Alex mentally shrugged. Why not? He handed over the necklace. Zebra scraped off a little more mud, trying to see what was written on the tag. His eyebrow quickly climbed to his hairline.

"Cub, do you know exactly who gave this tag to you?"

Alex shrugged. "I know his name is James and he's in the SAS, but that's about it."

"Jesus, Cub, you really don't know who James Alvarez, do you?" Zebra said. "According to what info the Sarge gave us, you trained in his unit for two weeks!"

No way. No fucking way. Nope. No. Nada.

There was no way in hell that the completely nice James was that bastard Wolf that tormented him all two weeks that he was at Brecon Beacons two years ago.

"Uh, Cub? I don't know about you, but the prospect of catching flies in my mouth doesn't sound very appetizing," Lizard said, waving a hand in front of Alex's face to bring him out of his reverie. "Although it doesn't sound any worse than what we eat in the mess hall."

Alex shook his head to clear his mind. "Uh, yeah. Um, appetizing. I think I'm going to go take a shower now." Alex grabbed his towel and a change of clothes and headed off towards the showers.

"D'ya think we broke his brain?" Shark wondered.

* * *

Alex mulled over his new discovery in the shower. He reevaluated his realization. There was no way that James was Fox, for obvious reasons. He was way too mature to be Eagle, and besides, Eagle had brown hair. Then there's Snake. But Snake was a redheaded Scotsman with a definite Scottish accent, not a soft Spanish one. That left him with Wolf. Alex still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Wolf could actually be anything other than rough, gruff, and bastardly. He quickly finished washing up and went back into the hut.

"So, Cub, at the risk of further breaking your brain, we thought it would be helpful to tell you that K-Unit is coming back to Brecon Beacons next week," Shark cheerfully said. "And when they come back to hell, you're going to be moving back in with them!"

Great, Alex thought, my brain had just recovered. Now Shark decided to break it again.

Now that he was clean and mud-free, Alex flopped onto his bed/bunk/slab of rock and proceeded to see how fast he could die from asphyxiation.

* * *

For the next week, Alex tried to forget about the impending disaster that was going to be his life. On his daily tutoring sessions with Ben, he repeated asked if he could stay with L-Unit, demanded even. Ben only replied that Alex was supposed to stay with K-Unit in the first place, but they were out on an assignment. When Alex responded to this by wailing like the world was ending, Ben asked him about his sudden (or maybe not so sudden) aversion to K-Unit. It took a long time (thirty minutes) to pry the information out of the seasoned spy. Alex warned him against laughing, and then told him the whole story, starting from the beginning of the party to the dog tag.

Ben laughed.

He didn't stop laughing, it was like he couldn't. Every time he tried to stop, a giggle or a snort escaped and the process would repeat.

Poor Alex fumed at Ben. If looks could kill, Ben wouldn't just be dead, he would be beyond vaporized, he would cease to exist entirely.

Finally, Ben stopped laughing at Alex's situation. "Man, Cub, how do you manage to get yourself into these things?"

Alex glared at the older spy. "Just help me! You're the adult, so you're supposed to be all-knowing!" Alex knew he was acting like a petulant child, but didn't care. After all, it wasn't every day you happened to have a major crush on a guy you didn't know that you actually hated and kicked out of a plane on the last day you thought you'd ever see him, then see him again on a rescue mission and then never see him ever again until you happen to bump into him at a party, not knowing his identity, and then he confesses he likes you and you happen to like him back. And to top it all off, you're going to have to share an army cabin with the guy.

Alex truly thought that someone up there hated him.

* * *

Alex sat down at a table with the rest of L-Unit for breakfast. "I don't know about you guys, but the food today looks more inedible than usual," Zebra mentioned, suspiciously poking his "ham." Lion just laid his head on the table, clutching a cup of brown sludge like it was his lifeline. Alex looked at his food. It _did _look worse than usual, but he couldn't figure out why.

His and the rest of the unit's question was answered when Wolf walked in through the doors of the mess hall, Snake and Eagle following behind. Of course, the cooks were welcoming the soldiers by reminding them just how horrible the food was.

Shark took one look at Wolf and nudged Alex in the ribs. "Hey, Cub," he said in a sing-song voice, "look who it is!" Alex groaned and let his head thump against the table.

"I thought Lion was supposed to be the one that's constantly harassing me."

"Not before he's had his daily dose of caffeine," Shark said. "He's completely mature and calm unless you give him caffeine."

Alex turned his head to look at Shark. "Then why don't you just take all sources off caffeine away from him?"

"We've tried," Lizard piped up, "and we failed. That man and his caffeine…" Lizard shook his head and returned to picking at his food.

"There you have it, Cub," Shark grinned. Alex would've rolled his eyes at the thought of Lion protecting his coffee like his life depended on it, but he felt a… large… intimidating presence behind him. He cautiously turned around. It was Wolf.

Wolf nodded at Zebra. "Do you mind if we sit here?" he asked, gesturing to the empty seats at the table.

"Sure," Zebra shrugged.

And whaddya know, Wolf decides to take the seat _right in front_ of Alex.

* * *

So if you're wondering why L-Unit doesn't act hostile in front of Alex and shun him like K-Unit did, remember, Alex is sixteen in this story, he looks more mature (but may or may not act like it ;) ) and so L-Unit decide to just suck it up and deal until K-Unit come back.

Drop a line? Guilt me into writing the next chapter? I have imaginary chocolate chip cookies if you review? :)


	6. Chapter 5

Hey look! I've updated on time! :OOO This author's note is also mostly here so that the Share bar doesn't cut into the story :)

Disclaimer: I've run out of clever things to say here, but I think the lawyers out there should get the message.

* * *

Wolf sat down in front of Alex.

Frick.

"Hey, Wolf, what's up?" Shark greeted. Wolf grunted in return. Alex sat there, hoping Wolf wouldn't recognize him (after all, wasn't two years supposed to dull your memory a bit?). Well, he thought, it doesn't really matter because I'm going to be sharing a cabin-hut-thingy with this guy.

"Who's the kid?" Wolf asked, pointing to Alex, who he apparently did not recognize. At that moment, Alex was at mental war with himself. He couldn't decide if he should make a super cool, cliché entrance or if he should just be a little wallflower and let Zebra or Shark (or Lion, once he's had his coffee) do all the talking. Alex's inner cocky teenager won the battle.

"You know, it isn't polite to point at others," Alex drawled. "The name's Cub. Nice to meet you again, Wolf."

Wolf's eyes almost comically bugged out of his face. Lizard swore that at that moment, Wolf broke the world record for the farthest an eye can pop out. Eagle and Snake's reactions weren't too far off either.

The three simultaneously shouted, "CUB?"

"Clearly you four know each other, which makes things all the easier, just because Cub's going to be spending the rest of his stay here at hell with you guys," Zebra said, effectively handing Alex over to K-Unit, much like how a butcher hands a chunk of meat over to the customer. No regret and he gets something out of it.

Shark whispered something to Zebra, who promptly grinned, got up, and left for another table, dragging Lion and Lizard with him. Then there were four. Silence reigned over the table once L-Unit left. Judging from the sniggering behind him, Alex knew that L-Unit sat only a table or two away watching how all this played out. Bastards. Dirty little gossipy schoolgirl bastards.

"Sooooo, hey there, Cub," Eagle said, attempting (and failing) to create some conversation. "How've you been these past few years we haven't seen you?"

Alex ate a spoonful of mush and mumbled, "Good. Or bad. It really depends on how you look at it."

"You're a little optimist aren't you?"

"Yes, Eagle. Yes, I am."

"Have you done anything… er, interesting lately?" Snake interjected, also attempting to create some small talk.

Alex refrained from rolling his eyes. "What's with the sudden interest in my private life?"

"These idiots are trying, and failing, to make some small talk to fill the awkward silence," Wolf grumbled, jerking his thumb towards his teammates.

"I don't see you helping the silence much," Alex said.

"I don't really give a fuck, honestly."

* * *

"Alrightie, Cubbie! Time to move your shit into K-Unit's lovely cabin!" Lion cheered, half-dragging Alex's duffel bag behind him, with said teenage spy still latched onto it. Lion gave a sharp tug and effectively led Alex towards K-Unit's cabin much like a person leads an unwilling horse to water.

Zebra and Shark stood in the shade of the cabin, laughing their asses off. Lizard, at least, acted calmer than the two idiots. Once Eagle and Snake got the rock-hard bunk into the cabin, then Alex was all moved in and ready to spend some quality time with his old unit. Fun.

Finally, everything was in place; belongings in locker, bed awkwardly pushed in corner, and a little Cub all but shoved into the cabin. L-Unit quickly left, cackling all the while. Alex grumbled to himself about how the soldiers were immature, gossipy brats at heart.

Alex noticed that his bunk was, again, awkwardly shoved into a corner. "Who's that bed for?" he asked, pointing towards Ben's old bunk.

"Good ol' Foxie is staying with us!" Eagle crowed. "Now it's gonna be just like the old times!"

Alex raised his eyebrow. "The good old times? You mean like when Wolf tripped me in the Killing House? Or when Wolf called me 'Double-O-Nothing?' Or when –"

"You kicked Wolf out of a plane?" Snake interrupted, looking very, very amused.

"What did you do that for anyway, you little shit?" Wolf demanded, looking very threatening at the moment. Alex was not fazed in the slightest.

"I saved your job, didn't I?"

After that remark, Wolf didn't bring up the plane incident for the rest of the day. Since K-Unit had just returned to camp, they got the day off, and since Alex was now part of K-Unit, he got the day off also. The three men plus a teenage spy spent the day lounging in their miserable excuse for a cabin playing cards and bickering over who cheated. After a particularly nasty round of Go Fish, Alex leaned over to draw a card from the deck. In doing so, his dog tag fell out of his shirt and dangled in front of Eagle's eyes, enticingly shining in the light. Eagle couldn't resist. "LOOKIE LOOKIE CUBBIE GOT SOME DOG TAGS!" Alex jerked back and shoved said dog tag back into his shirt.

"Nuh-uh, Cubbie! You are NOT going to hide this from your Uncle Eagle!"

"Uncle Eagle" proceeded to tackle Alex to the ground and wrestle the dog tag from under Alex's shirt. He triumphantly held it up in the air. It was Snake who made the stunning observation.

"Why does he only have one dog tag? If they're his own tags, he should have two."

Eagle looked more closely at the dog tag. "You're right! Hey, Cub," he nudged Alex, wiggling his eyebrows, "you got a little special someone in the army?"

Alex didn't reply as he was too busy trying to escape from under Eagle's butt. Yes, Eagle sat on Alex.

Snake looked at the two of them. They looked absolutely ridiculous. His gaze drifted over to where Wolf leaned against his bunk, and then drifted down to the dog tags, no, _dog tag_ sitting on his chest. It was a slight possibility that the dog tag currently being held hostage in Eagle's hand could be Wolf's. "Give me the tag," Snake said, holding out his hand. He examined it, scratching off a little mud here and there. Soon, the name stamped into the metal was very obvious. "Cub," Snake said his voice slightly uncertain, "why do you have one of Wolf's tags?" Everyone in the room froze, _especially_ Alex.

Wolf was the first to react. "Give me that," he demanded, gesturing to the dog tag. It was definitely his. You could see the gears in his head spinning while he worked out why his youngest unit member had one of his tags. No way. No fucking way. There was only one way some snot-nosed brat could've gotten a hold of one of his current dog tags, and that was if he gave them to the kid himself.

He pointed at Alex. "You, me, outside. NOW."

Snake and Eagle glanced at each other. "What do you think are the chances that they're going to come back unharmed?" Eagle asked.

Snake chuckled. "Little to none."

* * *

"Where did you get that tag, Cub?" Wolf went straight to the point, no sugar-coating or beating around the bush for this man.

Alex shifted uncomfortable under Wolf's heavy stare. "Erm… I found it?"

"Right, I think I'll believe that when Brecon Beacons becomes lovely, fluffy, bunny-land."

Alex squirmed some more. "I, er, got it as a gift from a friend?" Wolf's eyebrow climbed towards his hairline.

"Cut the bullshit, Cub."

"Yougaveittome," Alex mumbled, being surprisingly shy all of a sudden. (1)

Wolf crossed his arms and tried to look more intimidating than he already did. "In English, please?" Alex quickly snapped up and punched Wolf in the face, and then tried to make a run for it. Wolf quickly caught Alex around the middle and tossed him over his shoulder. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, kid."

Alex buried his face into Wolf's back. "You gave it to me on that balcony."

Wolf was silent.

"Oh my god. Jesus fucking Christ. _You're_ the guy at that party."

"Yep, I'm the guy at that party."

"Fuck." Alex couldn't have said it better himself.

Alex drummed his fingers on Wolf's back, still slung over the soldier's shoulder. "Soooo… You do know I'm sixteen, right? Legal age of consent in Britain?"

Wolf sputtered. "Fuck, Cub, that doesn't matter!"

"Then what matters, Wolf? You can't rape the willing and as I said before, I'm the legal age of consent," Alex pointed out.

"But- but- but…" Wolf spluttered, trying to find words.

Alex sighed. "How about we start over, then? Maybe act like the mature adults that we're supposed to be? And maybe we could start by putting me down?" Wolf flushed and quickly set his potential love interest on the ground.

"Hello, I'm Cub," Alex cheerfully said, sticking his hand out to shake. "I believe we met at a party, then you gave me a dog tag and promised to find me?"

Wolf awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Er, hey, Cub. I'm Wolf," Wolf said, shaking Alex's hand.

"Goodie! Let's go back inside and inform our eavesdropping teammates of our new friendship!" Alex said, smiling towards the slightly open door. He could hear muffled grunts and yelps of pain as the two soldiers scrambled to get in a relatively inconspicuous position.

* * *

Dinner was… mysterious mush. Alex did not want to know what was in it. Neither did anyone else in the mess hall.

* * *

"Alright. WHO DID THIS?" Wolf looked positively _livid_. He comes back into the cabin to give Eagle and Snake a good, long lecture on why you shouldn't eavesdrop on your team leader, and instead, finds his bunk glued to the bunk that used to be pushed into the corner. The moment Alex noticed, he flushed a deep, deep red, much resembling a tomato.

Eagle squealed and dove for cover behind Snake, who also cowered in front of Wolf. "IT WAS HIS IDEA, I SWEAR!" they both shouted at the same time, pointing to each other.

The following events could not be displayed to the general public, since it was so violent and bloody that it had to be censored for the sake of all the little kids reading this right now.

"Finally, time to go to bed," Wolf sighed happily, all frustration and anger taken out on Eagle and Snake, who were lying in bed, moaning in pain.

Alex had dived under his covers during the censored out moment. Now he was almost asleep and quite comfortable snuggled under his covers. Wolf had never wanted his camera so badly before.

"So, er, Cub. You don't mind if I sleep here, do you?"

Alex rolled over and mumbled something indistinctly. "I'm sorry, Cub, I don't speak Grunt."

"Fuck. Jus' go t' sleep alr'dy, bastard."

Wolf acquiesced and slipped under the covers, ignoring the giggles and snorts from two soldiers on the other side of the cabin.

* * *

(1) just in case FF decides to delete the sentence, Alex is mumbling "Yougaveittome"

Drop a line? Bribe me for the next chapter with ice cream cake, cookies, and various other unhealthy but delicious treats? Review?

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